Does anyone remember the big 6 month Bible study push during the mid 1990s?

by neverendingjourney 43 Replies latest jw experiences

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  mustang

  It was a steady source of time and dropping them would mean they would have to spend time in other, less comfortable, field service activities.

  Some of us tried to follow it religiously and others simply ignored the "advice" altogether.

  Good point; I had a bunch of studies and I milked them for all they were worth. But I was an independent cuss :)

  I wasn't around during that time frame, but it wouldn't surprise me if these arrangements have gone in cycles.

  Cycles is about right; the 90's must have been a minor "the end is really coming NOW" node. Pre-75 (I was there) definitely was an intense one of those cycles. Since I haven't been to meeting in over 30 years, I hear about things like the 90's re-run. The 60's version was a GET YOUR STUFF TOGETHER, HERE COMES THE BIG-A message!!!

  Sir82's comment is a really good thumbnail sketch.

  And what really surprises me is that WE DIDN'T DO THE 100 QUESTIONS THING in the 60's push. That turned on in the early 70's, when I was putting this behind me (really on the way out the door). I can't feature doing a 'rush-job' of it and still getting people through that oral exam, cold turkey.

  Matter-of-fact, I think that I would flunk the #$$%^& oral exam; I never took it!!!!!

  BTW, my last meeting was the last meeting of '74: I rolled the dice and said WTS was going to 'crap out'.

  (still reading...)

  Mustang
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  mustang

  Witnesses (particularly 3rd and 4th generation ones, in my experience) will pick and choose which rules they follow. They conveniently sidestep or forget all other teachings from a past era, but will pull out an old rule from the same era if it suits their personal agenda.

  ROFLMAO!!! More than you know....

  Mustang

  We all had 'connections' Class
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  tsar_robles

  I do remember this push, I was 17 or 18 and regular pioneering... I was conducting an average of 10-12 bible studies per month with the knowledge book and a ton load of return visits in the spanish field, that is. I was so naive back then that when I felt overwhelmed with 'service', I remember I would feel guilty for not visiting people on a timely fashion; I even recall walking by this bridge and throwing to a pond my field service agenda where I had all my contacts... then I'd start over collecting more people's addresses lol
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  White Dove

  Our congregation did it this way in the mid-90's:

  Study with the person as fast as you can, preferably within 6 months.

  Get them to baptism right the minute you finish the first book.

  After baptism and the first book, start the second one with the person.

  If after 6 months the person has not made substantial progress and baptism is not on the horizon, drop 'em.

  6 months was mentioned on the stage in the mid-90's at my hall and it was the buzz of our car groups.

  No one wanted to stop their studies.
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  worf

  neverendingjourney,

  I was an elder at that time and my then wife was a pioneer. I remember that arrangement exactly as you describe it. And yes. In retrospect it was just another trick of the borg to get everybody all excited and thinking that "The End Is (was) Close".

  Worf
• 

  WTWizard

  I remember that. They wanted people to come in the cancer on just the False Knowledge book, and rush to get baptized. The 6 months rule was a general guideline to prune unproductive studies that were wasting time.

  They did want people to get baptized quickly. That was so they would not have time to second guess their decisions, or to do independent research online (the Internet was just beginning to become a major factor, but people still had to pay by the hour and it was slower than today's broadband). Still, they did not want people to decide that it isn't the truth or that it isn't going to work for them.
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  Number1Anarchist

  Once again another tactic oh its reall close now we must hurry before the end. I totally remember going out on studies with people and the person could barely read let alone understand anything and most the time those studies did not go anywhere.
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  chickpea

  just another voice added to the
  "i remember that" class

  there was a genuine, albeit false,
  sense of urgency to urge the youth, as well,
  to "advance to baptism"
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  neverendingjourney

  I'm glad to see others remember it as well as I do. I had no idea it was a pre-75 re-hash. I wish I had known back then. Perhaps I wouldn't have gotten myself so worked up over having to drop studies that weren't "progressing."

  Just as a side note, my dad informed me that yesterday's public speaker said Armageddon is no longer around the corner, but is virtually upon us already. Yawn. Dad's been hearing this for 25 years and he still buys into it.
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  boyzone

  Yep, I remember the big push. I aux pio'd regularly with the only 2 reg pio's we had. We were all so excited about the 6 month limit which showed that "time was running out!!!!!!" (again)

  In the end we were all a bit disgruntled. The very few bible studies we had resented being pushed to make a decision and a couple stopped altogether. The whole thing became unworkable as we realised most people needed longer than 6 months.

  It became a PR disaster in the end and our cong ended up ignoring the 6 month limit and carried on as we were before.

  What a waste of time it all was.